Fear and Guilt in HIV and AIDS Prevention

Abstract

The social learning theory concepts of fear and guilt are regarded as inhibitory factors in disease prevention, and this article examines the possibility of incorporating fear and guilt training courses into HIV and AIDS prevention programmes. HIV and AIDS educators could help participants understand the role of fear and guilt in health promotion, and that fear of external negative reinforcement does not adequately protect them from HIV and AIDS. It is posited in this article that the development of guilt in individuals is a
learning process that can result in the inhibition of risky sexual behaviour, arguing that fear–guilt interaction in individuals is a social control mechanism that can be facilitated through social learning processes and moral development